What should be my recommended tire pressure?

Question

My tire rated pressure is 210-340KPa (30-49 psi). Total suburban riding 30min*2 a work day. There is some unavoidable low kerb jumping and there granulated bitumen and tile paved paths and blind people rubber corrugations on paths. The roads are clean except for idling stop cars. I am 83 kg fairly strong man. The bicycle has puncture tires and enclosed gears(which add internal friction). What should my tires be inflated to? https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/chu-ko-bicycle/cre022109068.html?sc_i=shp_pc_search_itemlist_shsrg_title

The model is Punc Tough. I measured the wheel height as about 72 cm.

Answer 1

Tyre pressure is a never-ending discussion and there is no single answer. So here's some heuristics or rules of thumb...

1. If you get pinch flats, add some air
2. If you can feel the rims hitting the road surface when you move around on the bike, add air.
3. If your tyres feel "squirmy" when turning/cornering, add some air

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4. If your tyres feel hard but seem to be slipping around on the road and sliding easily when turning, remove some air
5. If your tyres blow off the rim, remove some air.
6. If your tube herniates through any damage in the tyre, buy a new tyre.

Your front tyre carries approximately 40% of the rider's weight, and the rear is the other 60%. So its reasonable to have a higher air pressure in the rear tyre.

At the right pressures, your bike should feel "fast" but not squashy and still retain good levels of grip, in the conditions you ride.

The wider the tyre, the lower the pressure you can run.

On wet days, consider dropping 5 PSI, or 10 on really wet days, but still not bottoming out.

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Once you have your preferred pressures for front and rear, stick with them. Changing tube shouldn't have any impact, but changing tyres may do.

I would start your testing at 45 PSI in the rear and 40 PSI in the front and see what happens. The range on the sidewall is a recommendation, you can probably go outside those numbers if it seems appropriate.

Answer 2

There are two things (mainly) that you need to consider when selecting tire pressure; the weight load on each tire and the width of it. You can find many tables and charts like this one which tells you the pressure depending on width and weight. Weight should be the total weight of the bike with rider. The weight balance between front and rear tires are; front about 40-45% and rear 55-60%. So you should have slightly higher pressure in your rear tire.